Apr 3, 2015
Here we have one more Madhouse show, but though not bad in itself, it's certainly not one of the best shows the studio did.
Story and Characters - 7/10
Death Parade's story can be divided into two settings; the setting where the visitors who arrive at Quindecim are judged by Decim, and so have their life stories told to the spectator before being sent to the void or to be reincarnated. The great majority of this serie's episodes centers around those visitors that are, without a doubt, the best aspect of this series. They are always well constructed characters that in one or two episodes have their
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own complexities shown to the spectator as neither being 'good' nor 'bad', but always grey. And at the same time they are shown in a way that the spectator can identify with their problems and inner conflicts, making this setting of the story great to watch.
On the other hand, the second setting of this story is centered around Decim and the other arbiters and characters of the afterlife that live with him, and sadly the story of those characters is what earns Death Parade its 7 in this category. This part of the story has quite a number of plot holes, badly explained character development where the characters suffer an abrupt change without an apparent reason why, and subplots that are started but never concluded properly. You want to understand to understand how the world of the afterlife works? Too bad for you, Death Parade is just gonna leave you with a half explanation without much room for interpretation. That leads to another problem; a number of characters almost completely useless to the plot that could be easily removed from the story altogether. This results in a waste of screentime that could be used to better develop, as an example, Decim himself.
Art and Sound - 9/10
Now, the art of Death Parade is simply great. The design of all the characters is well done, the environments are beautiful and detailed and the animation is simply gorgeous.
And that's not all; the soundtrack is extremely well done and placed. The music is always in the right place, with a dreadful piano in dramatic scenes and an intense violin in equally intense scenes. It has a way of inserting the spectator into the world of Death Parade; a soundtrack really worth buying.
Enjoyment - 8/10
Even though I criticize Death Parade there's no doubt that it's a fun show to watch. Actually, I can't recall one boring episode; this series is gonna keep you entertained during all 12 episodes. Even with all the problems in the plot, it's still a series that I would recommend to anyone simply for this factor.
Overall - 7/10
- Main characters have average character development, while side characters are way better developed.
- Waste of screentime with characters close to completely useless to the plot.
- Subplots that are started but never properly concluded.
+ Very fun to watch.
+ Great visuals and soundtrack.
+ Every episode has it own climax, keeping the person watching entertained all the way through.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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